Link Centre Dictionary

squeeze

UK/skwiːz/ US/ˈskwiz/ common slang uk
verb (9) noun (8)

verb

1.

to compress with violence, out of natural shape or condition

  • “crush an aluminum can”
  • “squeeze a lemon”
Synonyms
2.

press firmly

  • “He squeezed my hand”
3.

squeeze like a wedge into a tight space

  • “I squeezed myself into the corner”
Synonyms
4.

to cause to do through pressure or necessity, by physical, moral or intellectual means :"She forced him to take a job in the city"

  • “He squeezed her for information”
Synonyms
5.

obtain by coercion or intimidation

  • “They extorted money from the executive by threatening to reveal his past to the company boss”
  • “They squeezed money from the owner of the business by threatening him”
Synonyms
6.

press or force

  • “Stuff money into an envelope”
  • “She thrust the letter into his hand”
Synonyms
7.

squeeze tightly between the fingers

  • “He pinched her behind”
  • “She squeezed the bottle”
Synonyms
8.

hug, usually with fondness

  • “Hug me, please”
  • “They embraced”
Synonyms
9.

squeeze or press together

  • “she compressed her lips”
  • “the spasm contracted the muscle”
Synonyms

noun

1.

the act of gripping and pressing firmly

  • “he gave her cheek a playful squeeze”
Synonyms
2.

a state in which there is a short supply of cash to lend to businesses and consumers and interest rates are high

Synonyms
3.

a situation in which increased costs cannot be passed on to the customer

  • “increased expenses put a squeeze on profits”
4.

(slang) a person''s girlfriend or boyfriend

  • “she was his main squeeze”
5.

a twisting squeeze

  • “gave the wet cloth a wring”
Synonyms
6.

an aggressive attempt to compel acquiescence by the concentration or manipulation of power

  • “she laughed at this sexual power play and walked away”
Synonyms
7.

a tight or amorous embrace

  • “come here and give me a big hug”
Synonyms
8.

the act of forcing yourself (or being forced) into or through a restricted space

  • “getting through that small opening was a tight squeeze”

Origin

From earlier squize, squise (whence also dialectal English squizzen and squeege), first attested around 1600, further origin uncertain; probably an alteration of quease (which is attested since 1550), from Middle English queisen (“to squeeze”), from Old English cwȳsan (“to crush, squeeze”), itself also of unknown origin, perhaps imitative (compare Swedish qväsa, kväsa (“to squeeze, bruise, crush; quell”), Dutch kwetsen (“to injure, hurt”), German quetschen (“to squeeze”)). Or, a blend of obsolete squiss (“to squeeze”) (whence also squash and squish) with quease. Compare also French esquicher from Old Occitan esquichar (“to press, squeeze”). The slang expression "to put the squeeze on (someone or something)", meaning "to exert influence", is from 1711. The baseball term "squeeze play" is first recorded 1905. "Main squeeze" ("most important person") is attested from 1896, the specific meaning "one's sweetheart, lover" is attested in 1970s. The nonstandard strong forms squoze and squozen, attested dialectally since at least the mid-19th century, are by analogy with freeze.

Phrases

  • coastal squeeze
  • credit squeeze
  • exsqueeze me terms derived from the verb "squeeze"
  • put the squeeze on
  • safety squeeze
  • short squeeze
  • squeeze ball
  • squeeze blood from a turnip terms derived from the verb "squeeze"
  • squeeze blood out of a turnip terms derived from the verb "squeeze"
  • squeeze bore
  • squeeze box terms derived from the verb "squeeze"
  • squeeze boxer

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Narrower terms

See also

Causes

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.